The Switch: A Teen, a Train, and ...
The Switch: A Teen, a Train, and a Miracle
AI
The Rewind Files by Brooklyn and Silas
S1 · E13
Apr 13, 2026
03:39
Episode notes

It was Friday the 13th, and for the 132 passengers on Via Rail’s "Ocean" train, the superstition was about to become a terrifying reality. As they cruised through the foggy coast of Nova Scotia at 75 miles per hour, the world suddenly turned upside down. But this wasn't a mechanical failure or a natural disaster—it started with a 14-year-old local kid, a "bad idea," and a broken padlock. Silas and Brooklyn recount the unbelievable 2001 derailment in Stewiacke, where a passenger train was essentially "parallel parked" into a literal drugstore at highway speeds. It sounds like a Hollywood script, but the real story is what happened in the minutes after the screeching metal stopped. How did one small "experiment" lead to one of the most miraculous survivals in rail history? We’re diving into the mystery of "The Switch" and the teen who changed every ... 

Keywords
on this day
2001
April 13th
True Stories